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LIHUE, Hawai'i -- The Saint Mary's golf team started strong, but had a difficult final nine holes and is in a tie for 13th place after the first round of the 38th Annual John A. Burns Intercollegiate at Wailua Golf Course.

Just five strokes separate sixth-place Washington State with the Gaels and Fresno State, which each shot an 8-over par 296. Nevada sits just one stroke ahead in 12th place, while Colorado State, Pacific and UNLV are each tied for 9th at 5-over. California leads the tournament by seven strokes after posting a team score of 10-under par 278 to lead runner-up Arizona by seven strokes.

Senior Dalan Refioglu led the Gaels and is tied for 30th place with a 1-over par 73 on the scenic 6,991-yard course that has hosted three US Public Links championship events. The Foster City, Calif. native went 4-under par on the back nine after starting off on the 10th hole. Like the rest of the team, he struggled on the front nine and went 5-over after the turn.

Classmate Cody Robinson and sophomore Maclayne Marar are tied for 40th after each carded a 2-over par 74. A native of Discovery Bay, Calif., Robinson went even par on the back nine and 2-over on the front.

After going even on the back nine, Marr went 4-over on his first three holes after making the turn. He rebounded, however, to birdie two of his final six holes.

Junior Tye Gabriel finished in a 13-golfer tie for 51st place with a 3-over 75, while senior Alex Bungert finished at 5-opver and in a tie for 75th place in the 90-golfer field.

The teams return to the course tomorrow for the tournament's second round. Saint Mary's joins Long Beach State, Texas A&M and Washington State beginning at 10:50 a.m. (Pacific) off the first tee. Live results are available throughout the round on Golfstat.com and Golfstat's new iPhone app.